


Like My Father Before Me

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, anakin loved artoo, artoo loves both anakin and luke, i am emotional, luke loves artoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 16:44:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10517766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: I get really emotional thinking about Artoo and Anakin and Luke. So I wrote this.





	

**Author's Note:**

> inspired a lot by this tumblr post: https://radioactivepeasant.tumblr.com/post/159060987061/threadsketchier-eagle1sky-i-love-my-droid
> 
> (some details in here might not fit in the sw universe or make sense, but like, just go with it ok?)

“I just wish I had something,  _ anything _ , of what he was like before the dark side corrupted him. Sure, Ben told me he was _ brave  _ and a  _ hero _ , but that doesn’t tell me anything about who he actually  _ was.  _ Like, what foods did he like to eat? What did he like to do when he wasn’t fighting in the Clone Wars? Who were his friends? There are so many things I want to know, but probably never will, Leia.”

Luke was pacing circles around the living room of his Coruscant apartment. Leia sat on the couch, watching him with a sad expression. 

“I know, Luke. I’m sorry.” she said. 

He knew Leia meant well, but he also knew that to some extent she did not understand. When he felt out to the Force surrounding her whenever they talked about their father, he did not sense an energy of loss or want. He sensed only relief in her. 

It wasn’t like he could blame her. The sole time she had interacted with Vader,  _ Anakin, _ he had been a monster, and it had culminated in the destruction of her homeworld. She never had the chance to witness the fear, the vulnerability, the  _ light _ buried deep inside him that Luke had seen right before his death. Besides, even if they were not bound by blood, Leia  _ had  _ a mother and father. Why should she weep and yearn for Anakin Skywalker, when Darth Vader was all she ever knew?

Leia crossed the room and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“I know how difficult this is for you,” she said softly, “maybe one day you’ll find some of the answers you’re looking for. But for now, don’t drive yourself mad over it.”

She pulled away and kissed him on the forehead.

“And now,” she said, “I truly must be going. Han will be waiting up for me to come home, and I doubt he’s eaten dinner yet. It’s like he forgets to take care of himself when I’m not around. Force forbid I ever go away for more than a few nights, he’d probably starve to death.”

Luke laughed genuinely at this. “Goodnight Leia” he said with a gentle smile.

“Goodnight, brother.” she replied as she exited the apartment.

Luke turned around to walked to his bedroom, and immediately almost tripped over the astromech droid in his path.

“Hey little guy, I didn’t know you were in here.” he said warmly.

Artoo beeped cheerfully back in response.

“Well I’m going to bed. See you in the morning Artoo.” he said, patting the top of the small droid affectionately before walking off.

It was close to an hour later that night, lying in bed half-asleep, that Luke heard the mechanical sound and saw the illuminated buttons of Artoo as the droid entered his room.

“Artoo? Is something wrong?” he asked groggily.

Artoo said nothing in response, just rolled closer to the side of Luke’s bed.

Suddenly, a beam of blue light emitted from the droid, within which a holovid began to play.

“Artoo, what’s th-” Luke stopped talking as soon as he saw the face in the holo.

It was a man wearing a heavy winter jacket, with a hood lined with the fur of some animal pulled up around his head. Out from the hood poked messy curls of auburn hair. His brow was furrowed and his blue eyes were full of concern.

“Artoo?” asked Anakin Skywalker, the young image of his father that Luke recognized from the ghost he had seen months earlier.

“Listen little guy, I need you to do something for me.” Anakin continued, “I need you to take the interceptor and go to Coruscant. Find Obi Wan. Tell him we were hit by Separatist forces and our ship was damaged. We were just able to make the jump the light-speed, but the navigation was damaged, and we ended up crash-landing here. Captain Rex was hurt in the landing, and I didn’t want to leave him and Ahsoka alone here. I don’t know the name of this planet, but I’m putting in our coordinates so that he can send a rescue party. Tell him to  _ hurry  _ because it’s kriffing cold here.”

Anakin turned to look at something not visible in the holo. “Hey Snips, what’re you doing?” then an indignant yell of “Ahsoka!” as a snowball flew into view and smashed directly against his head.

“If I freeze to death here because of you, you’ll have to have Obi Wan as your master, and he won’t let you get away with half of the things that I do!” he yelled, snow still caught in his hair and eyelashes.

A laugh came from somewhere behind Anakin and a young female voice spoke. “Maybe that’s my goal. I bet Master Obi Wan doesn’t crash ships nearly as often as you do!”

Anakin’s expression became ever grumpier. “Oh that is  _ it  _ Ahoska!” he called, dashing out of the view of the holo. Luke heard sounds of crashing and two voices laughing from somewhere off screen. A few moments passed before Anakin returned to few, cheeks flushed with laughter and eyes bright.

“Sorry Artoo, as you know by now, my Padawan is _incredibly disrespectful_. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Get to Coruscant at top speed. Do you think you can do that for me?”

There was the sound of familiar, happy beeping from the droid that was presumably filming the holo. 

“Thanks little guy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The holo shut off. 

Luke sat silently in bed, stunned, excited, head racing with a million questions, and heart burning with warmth at what he had just seen. 

His father had a padawan once. His father had a sense of humor. His father’s smile looked a lot like his own.

“You were his droid?”

Artoo beeped affirmatively.

“You… you miss him too?”

A few sad beeps. 

Luke got to the ground and wrapped his arms tightly around Artoo’s metal frame. The little astromech shivered and beeped happily in response.

“I promise, I’ll never change on you like he did. I won’t go to the dark side. I promise you won’t get abandoned again.”

He stayed like that for awhile, not embarrassed in the least that he was crying and hugging a droid.

After a while he gathered up the courage to ask the number one question on his mind.

“Are there any more of those?”

Artoo made an affirmative noise. Luke sat on the floor, leaning against the small droid as the next holovid began to play. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @softwedge so we can cry about droids together
> 
> (also, for dramatic irony, the planet was Hoth, in case you were wondering)


End file.
